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Goood evening, fellow Mac Crackberry addicts!
I wanted to share tonights recent discovery o' mine, on eliminating those d@mn resource forks that OS X happily places on your BlackBerry when you transfer image/music files.
I could find nothing related to this, present - and who knows, maybe it's old subject for some of you with a current fix - I'm just a recent BB owner/and Mac user, so I was kind of stoked when I figured out a way to clear the "._" files off my BlackBerry.
-I also do not use applications such as PocketMac - I just USB connect my BB, so if those programs DO eliminate resource forks when coupled to a Mac, swell!
This is for the rest of us poor schlubs I guess- lol.
Ok: PROBLEM-
Uploaded a few new wallpapers to my BB tonight. Create in Photoshop, save for web, plug BB into USB and transfer.
Simple enough drill.
However, within my BB's wallpapers folder, there resided a familar sight to those of us who often save files that are later read on PC machines: what appears to be a duplicate file of each image uploaded, with a "._" pre-extension.
Evidently, this is true for music files & the like, too.
Further complicating things - I CAN'T SEEM TO DELETE THESE off my BlackBery.
On a PC, easy pie - select & hit "move to trash". Done.
Not on my Curve though. It's like they're stuck with me (forever?) But more on that in a second. Firstly, what the
Bleebity-BeJesus is going on?!
WHY am I seeing ANOTHER file with the same name, and with that funky "._" before it?
The short explaination (and forgive me here - I just USE Mac's , I'm sure within CrackBerry, there resides a Guru of Appledom who could explain this much more elegently)- is that OS X uses what is called a "resouce fork" to store additional data about a file, such as a finder preview. Files have data forks (the actual file) and resource forks (additional data).
The issue, is that Windows (Nor evidently my BlackBerry) currently has any way to translate a resource fork, and as such, will report it as a dummy (._filename) with no application to open it.
They are very tiny, only about 1kb in size, but still - I DON'T WANT them mingled in with the "real" files within my BB folders.
SO: tried to delete them. Nope. Wouldn't budge, singled-out anway. Stuck like glue.
Next step: move the "real" images over to ANOTHER folder I created, then try to delete the offending folder containing nothing BUT the stupid "._" files.
Denyed! Warning window pops up on my BlackBerry proclaiming something about "contains data" and will NOT let me delete the folder.
K, by now I'm getting sorta heated.
I'm mumbling something under my breath about how "betcha an iPhone doesn't have this problem..." And feeling quite guilty about it - when - Oh, what's the mother of invention again? Desperation?
MAYBE A STUPID SOLUTION?
Works like this:
Create a NEW folder on your BB - call it "Mac Drop" or something similarly clever.
USB hookup your BB to Mac.
(If the BB volume doesn't appear on your desktop, stop reading immediately - you have other issues going on, and I have no idea what they are).
Drag & drop your files into the "Mac Drop" folder, as per usual.
Disconnect BB from Mac, goto the Mac Drop folder, and place the "real" files around where they should be into other folders on your BB. Leave all the "._" garbage files inside the Mac Drop folder.
Ok- now the hard part: reconnect your BB to your Apple, find that Mac Drop folder, and DELETE IT right from the Mac.
Poof. Gone.
There goes the resource forks, buh-bye!
Now, nothing but clean, useable files on my Curve.
If you wanted to, just KEEP the "Mac Drop" folder on your BB for awhile - just to store the resource forks away from everything else, and delete as explained above once a month or as deemed acceptable.
AnyHoo- there's my contribution to the knowledgebase around here, for tonight. If it's been covered already, forgive me -
So excited I had to share!
ALSO: any geeks (I use the term adoringly, mind you) want to pitch in with EASIER solutions? The board is yours, my friends!
MM-K, time to wrap this up with a nice garlic shrimp pasta and a red wine.
Deee-licious!!
Have a good one out there.
-DC-
12-03-08 07:27 PM
